The
Market Square was almost deserted when I arrived to do a stint on the
bric-a-brac stall. Friends of British Schools were manning each stall
and no one needed any help. It was bucketing down, so, after
distributing a few leaflets and taking these photos, I headed back to
the car.

I
volunteered for the wrong spot. I think the Museum had more customers
than the Fair, as there was a quilting and sampler day there, and tea
and cake!

Monday, 1 June 2015

But many of us were alarmed by the opening statement of the meeting. Sell the museum?

Of course,we should have realised that the 'selling' was in the sense of making our presence known to a wider audience,

We were all encouraged to become Ambasadors for the museum under our newly apppointed development officer, spreading the word of what a unique (the only purpose-built British School with a Lancastrian school-room left tin the world) museum we have here in Hitchin.

There was a special guest at the meeting, the chairman of the British Schools Museum Trust.

He, and three fellow-trustees, were there to celebrate the work of the Volunteers, (there may have been fizz and chocolates),

and to present certificates to all volunteers who have served the Museum in recent years (some for moe than twenty) .

One of the founder-members of the Friends of British Schools Museum, Yvonne Limbrick, has been nominated for a 'going the extra mile in this year's Share Museum's Awards.

As for me - I am already booked to do a session with the Education Team, leading a People and Places workshop in July, and working with the Assistant Curator's team on the museum catalogue database in June.

So, here's the beginning of doing my bit as an Ambassador outside the walls of the museum.

There are a number of events coming up in the next few months that will be of interest to those on my FList.

On 28th June, Ye Olde School Run will be held in aid of the Museum. A day of fun for all the family, including a Town Treasure Trail, with a first prize of £100

Closer to my heart, there is a performance of Where the Working boats went, by Life and Times, on July 9th. Part of the Hitchin Festival for the past couple of years, this will be the last performance of this show.

Please share this Blog entry with all your Twitter and Facebook friends and family. We are working to raise more money this year for the exciting developments at the museum, as well as the regular running and maintenance.

Wednesday, 27 May 2015

The parents spent the weekend teaching the children how to find food. First port or call is our neighbour's boat. The male is very agressive and attacks the boat's hull for attention and demanding food when a human appears.

Here he is chasing off Mother Moorhen.

Teaching the babes to forage for weed.

We spent a lot of time working inside the boat, getting it habitable for cruising, before going into the paint shed in July. The first night aboard was a little uncomfortable because we hadn't packed enough pillows, and the microwave died in the middle of re-heating the cottage pie I'd made at home.

A quick trip to Waitrose, near Rushden, solved those problems, and also provided a lovely picnic lunch, the following day,

Ron is beginning to like the marina. He loves the walks and is very aware of his own private swimming pool behind the marina office.

He went AWAL off the back deck on the final day and MWNN found him having adventures in the office garden.

Having been reluctant to overnight on the boat when we set off on Saturday, MWNN was keen to extend our stay an extra day. We had a lot of lovely walks as well as all the exercise of the work that needed doing.

The moorings are in the sheltered safety of the lake, with access to the River Nene just a few hundred metres away

The last job on leaving the boat is to put on the covers. We haven't quite got the knack of putting on the rear 'dodger'. It may need adjustable 'bungies' to save the skin on the knuckles.

I may go back to do some more clearing and cleaning while MWNN is away cat-sitting in Wimbledon.